Edwige Belmore – French Punk Icon

In the major European celebrity punk circles, Edwige Belmore was a constant presence in the late ’70s and ’80s. The headline: “The Queen of Punk Meets the Pope of Pop” fronted Facade magazine in 1979 with a picture of her kissing Andy Warhol. Image result for edwige belmore andy warhol

 

An article in 2015 in Autre journal outlines how Edwige was affected by punk:

“The year was 1976, Edwige was 19 years old, and she saw the Sex Pistols perform live for the very first time. Mind blown and loins aroused, she was changed completely. She told everyone that on November 6, 1979, “Edwige will die, and Edwige will be born.” Her friends assumed she was planning her suicide, and in many ways she was. She burned all of her clothes, and bought one outfit that was definitively hers. “I had completely this amazon look – Riding pants, high heels, white shirt with a skinny tie, with a big old beaten leather jacket that’s so cool, shaved head…I was some kind of alien, amazon, dominatrix or something.” Autre Journal

Edwige grew up in a convent, having been abandoned by her parents and became a striking character on the party circuit. She was an early adopter of multiple tattoos and had friends in bands, as well as actors and fashion designers.

Two girls approached Edwige in a Paris club and persuaded her to play drums in their band, L.U.V. (for Ladies United Violently, or Lipsticks Used Viciously).  As the punk movement started to gain recognition in the media, she became a spokesperson, conducting frequent interviews. Soon Edwige Belmore indeed became the French “Queen of Punk.”

In 1980, she took on a synth-based project as the singer in  Mathématiques Modernes, and music from this featured in a documentary film Des Jeunes Gens Modernes. For years after, she was involved with fashion and photography, but died aged about 58, although her actual age was never known.

 

Here’s the French documentary that includes music and film of Edwige.

 

Tell us what you think! Did you like the post? Do you agree? Do you have some information or experience to share? Please let us know by commenting!

Discover more from

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

search previous next tag category expand menu location phone mail time cart zoom edit close